I found the original salted caramel recipe over on BrownEyedBaker's blog. I tried it and it was good, but I found it a bit too salty for my taste. So I tweaked it a bit, and now I think it's just perfect!
Here's a fantastic treat, just in time to top all your warm, fall goodies. I've used it so far to make caramel popcorn...
dip apple slices in...
and drizzle on chunky apple muffins...
But there are so many other things you could use this for--ice cream, brownies, pretzels, pancakes, caramel apples, apple pie, hot chocolate, coffee, or just lick it off your fingers!!
The possibilities are endless!
Salted Caramel Sauce
(This recipe makes about 1 and 1/2 cups of caramel sauce)
1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature (cut into pieces)
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1 tsp salt
*Make sure to have everything out and ready before you start heating the sugar. The sugar is going to need your undivided attention for this to work right.
1. Pour the sugar into a heavy saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You'll see the sugar will begin to form clumps. It's supposed to do that. Keep whisking and they will melt back down.
*Stop whisking once all the sugar has melted and just swirl the pan occasionally as it continues to cook.
2. Things will move quickly once all the sugar is melted! Turn the heat down to medium. Keep cooking the sugar until it turns a deep amber (reddish-brown) color. If you have a candy thermometer, cook until the sugar reaches 350 degrees. I don't have one of these thermometers, so I watch for the color, and for the sugar to just begin to smoke. The caramel can go from perfect to burnt in just a matter of seconds, so make sure you're watching it closely.
3. As soon as the sugar reaches 350 degrees (or just begins to smoke), add all the butter at once. Don't be alarmed, the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream. Once again, the caramel will bubble up. Whisk until all of the cream is well blended. Then whisk in the salt.
5. Set the sauce aside to cool for 10-15 minutes and then pour into a glass container and let it continue to cool to room temperature. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. Warm the sauce up (15-20 seconds at a time) in the microwave before using.
Additional tips:
*The first time I made this, my salt didn't dissolve in very well. So on my second batch, I used a mortar and pestle to crush the salt to a fine powder. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, the original recipe also suggests using flaky sea salt. I haven't worked with that before, but perhaps it will melt better than regular salt.*Stir the sugar initially to help it to melt evenly, but stop stirring once it has completely melted to keep it from seizing.
*Be sure to use a sauce pan this is bigger than you think you might need. A 2-3 quart pan should work fine. When you add the butter and cream, the caramel will bubble up strongly.
*And finally, share with a friend! This sauce is too tempting and too good! If you don't share, you'll be too tempted to eat it all yourself!
Enjoy!
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